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Fried Red Bean Puffs

Chinese New Year is on February 8th and I am getting into the spirit. Last year, I didn’t start planning until the week before Chinese New Year. By the time I went to Chinese supermarket, the ingredients that I wanted were all sold out. I am trying to be smarter this time. Two weeks ago, I have bought everything I needed to get ready for Chinese New Year. Score! 🙂

Other than celebrating on my own, my blogger friend, Christine from Vermilion Roots are teaming up with other 14 bloggers, including me, to start a Chinese New Year Cookie Party. Each of us will share one of our favorite Chinese New Year cookie recipes on our blogs. Even though you may not celebrate Chinese New Year, you can still get a taste of Chinese New Year and join in the festivities. If you are celebrating Chinese New Year, join our party with your delicious cookies with the hashtag #ChineseNewYearCookieParty.

For my cookie, I am making fried red bean puffs (豆沙角). I know, I know… It is a bit of a stretch to consider fried red bean puff as cookie. But let me explain, growing up, my families didn’t make cookies during Chinese New Year. Our family is not very traditional. The only snack that my grandma makes are the sweet glutinous rice dumplings with black sesame. Other than that, we all munch on dried fruit, chocolate, roasted seeds and fresh fruit. Every region and every family has their own traditions. So to me, fried red bean puffs are my kind of “cookie”, and they are something I love dearly. Fried red bean puffs are a snack for Guangdong region. It is usually eaten during Chinese New Year, but sometimes, you can also find them in dim sum restaurants. The puffs are shaped like half-moon. They resemble ancient Chinese gold or silver ingots. It symbolizes wealth. By making the puffs, you are bringing in wealth to your home and family.

The puffs are made with red bean and glutinous rice flour. The uniqueness about glutinous rice flour is that when it is mixed with water and cooked, it has a sticky and stretchy texture. If you have had Japanese mochi before, it is kind of like that. These puffs are fried. When you bite into them, you get a little bit of that crispy and chewy crust and sweet red bean filling. Absolutely satisfying and addicting! These puffs will guarantee to bring everyone to the table and make them happy.

Here are the cookie recipes from my blogger friends, check them out! And don’t forget to tag your own cookie photos (#ChineseNewYearCookieParty)!

In a baking sheet, lined with a few layers of paper towels. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, add 100g glutinous rice flour. Slowly pour in ½ cup cold water. Stir and mix with one hand until the dough comes together. If it is too dry, add little more water. If it is too wet, add little more flour. Pinch the dough into about 1-inch irregular pieces.

In a medium pot, add 1 cup water and the brown sugar. Bring to a boil and reduce to medium-low heat. Cook until the sugar has melted. Add the dough pieces and cook through, about 3 – 5 minutes. Turn the heat off. Add 150g rice flour. Stir together with a wooden spatula.

On a lightly floured (rice flour) working surface, place the hot dough over. Add another 40g of rice flour. Carefully knead the dough until smooth. If the dough is sticky, add little more flour. Divide the dough into 2 parts.

Roll 1 part of dough into ¼-inch thick with a rolling pin. Use a 3½-inch round cutter to cut out rounds. Repeat with the other part of dough. Gather the scrapes and roll it into ¼-inch thick dough again. Continue to cut out rounds. Make 15 – 17 rounds in total.

Place about 1 tablespoon red bean paste in the center of each round. Fold the dough over to make half-moon shape. Press the edges firmly to seal.

In a wok or medium pot, add enough vegetable oil to reach 1-inch deep. Heat the oil to 350˚F (160˚C). Fry the puffs in patches until golden brown, turning them often for even cooking. Transfer the finished puffs to the prepared baking sheet. Let them drain and rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Reader Interactions

Comments

Hey Lokness, I’m super excited to see a recipe using red beans. I bet these puffs are going to be just as, if not more, addicting as cookies! My mouth is watering just thinking about the combination of fried pastry and creamy red bean paste. 🙂

Love these little treats with the doughy texture on the inside with the sweet red beans and the crunchy outside. Hot out of the oven and so delicious. Wishing you a super CNY and much happiness. It is sooo busy in Hong Kong these days and especially this week of the biggest migration. Will you be heading home for the holidays?

I didn’t grow up eating many cookies at all so I know what you mean! These are wonderful and my kind of sweet treat! It’s the perfect special occasion to fry and I usually think of the ones with peanut/sesame filling but red bean paste is so much better! Great job with this and making the homemade paste!!

Hi Lokness 🙂 These look so great! This is going to be our first year celebrating Chinese new year and I’m pretty excited! I have a couple recipes I’m playing around with that the kiddos will enjoy 🙂 These red bean puffs look so yummy… I’ve never had anything like them before… I may try my hand at test making them this weekend 🙂 Thanks for sharing the recipe!

[…] you remember last year a group of amazing food bloggers and I come together and did virtual Chinese New Year Cookie Party? We are taking this up a notch this year with not just cookies, but sweets too! We are calling it […]

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Hello there!

Welcome! I'm Lokness. Live in Los Angeles & grew up in Hong Kong. Obsessed with chocolate & ice cream. Cooking is something I love. This is where I share my stories and recipes.
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